1945 in music

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This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1945.

Events

February 13–15 - Bombing of Dresden in World War II destroys the Semperoper (Saxon state opera house).
July 26 - Composer Ernest John Moeran marries cellist Peers Coetmore.
August 19 - Dick Powell marries June Allyson.
September 1 - Trio Lescano's last concert on Italian radio.
November - Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt conducts the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra in its first concert.
November 26 - Charlie Parker makes his first recording as a lead player, also featuring Miles Davis.
The Motion Picture Daily Fame Poll designates Bing Crosby "Top Male Vocalist" for the ninth straight year.
Antal Doráti becomes conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Reynaldo Hahn is appointed director of the Paris Opéra.
Frank Sinatra leaves Your Hit Parade to appear on Max Factor Presents Frank Sinatra and, starting that September, Old Gold Presents Songs By Sinatra.
Ruth Brown runs away from home to marry trumpeter Jimmy Brown and begin her career as a singer.

Publications

Spade Cooley - Spade Cooley's Western Swing Song Folio (the first songbook to identify the big Western dance band music as Western Swing)

Albums released

Nat King Cole - King Cole Trio
Bing Crosby - Merry Christmas
Glenn Miller - Glenn Miller
Django Reinhardt - Paris 1945
Bing Crosby - Selections from Going My Way

Biggest hit songs

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the limited set of charts available for 1945.

Title	Artist	Song title	Year	Chart Entries
1	Les Brown & Doris Day	"Sentimental Journey"	1945	US BB 1 of 1945, US 1 for 9 weeks May 1945, POP 1 of 1945, Europe 37 of the 1940s, RYM 69 of 1945, RIAA 77, Acclaimed 818
2	The Andrews Sisters	"Rum & Coca-Cola"	1945	US 1940s 1 - January 1945, US 1 for 7 weeks February 1945, US BB 2 of 1945, POP 2 of 1945, RYM 3 of 1944, Europe 6 of the 1940s
3	Perry Como	"Till the End of Time"	1945	US 1940s 1 - August 1945, US 1 for 9 weeks September 1945, US BB 12 of 1945, POP 23 of 1945, Europe 30 of the 1940s, RYM 85 of 1945
4	Johnny Mercer	"On the Atcheson, Topeka & the Sante Fe"	1945	US 1940s 1 - July 1945, US 1 for 7 weeks July 1945, US BB 4 of 1945, POP 11 of 1945, RYM 89 of 1945
5	Les Brown& Doris Day	"My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time"	1945	US 1940s 1 - March 1945, US 1 for 7 weeks April 1945, US BB 7 of 1945, POP 13 of 1945, RYM 70 of 1945

Top hit records

Singer Betty Hutton in 1945

"11:60 PM" by Harry James
"A Little on the Lonely Side" by Frankie Carle
"Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" by Johnny Mercer
"Apple Honey" by Woody Herman
"Bell Bottom Trousers"
- by Jerry Colonna
- by The Jesters
- by Kay Kyser and his orchestra
- by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
- by Tony Pastor and his orchestra
- by Louis Prima and his orchestra
"Bijou" by Woody Herman
"Caldonia" by
- Louis Jordan
- Woody Herman
"Candy" by Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford, and The Pied Pipers
"Chickery Chick" by Sammy Kaye
"(Did You Ever Get) That Feeling in the Moonlight" by Perry Como
"Dig You Later" by Perry Como
"Doctor Lawyer Indian Chief" by Betty Hutton
"Dream" by Frank Sinatra
"Gotta Be This or That" by Benny Goodman
"I Can't Begin to Tell You" by Bing Crosby
"I Don't Care Who Knows It" by Harry James
"If I Loved You" by Harry James, also Frank Sinatra
"I'll Buy That Dream" by Harry James
"I'm Beginning to See the Light" by Harry James
"I Should Care" by Frank Sinatra
"It May As Well Be Spring" by Dick Haymes
"It's Been a Long, Long Time" by Harry James, also Bing Crosby
"Laura" by Woody Herman
"Northwest Passage" by Woody Herman
"Oh! What It Seemed to Be" by Frank Sinatra
"Rum and Coca-Cola" by Vaughn Monroe
"Salt Peanuts" by Dizzy Gillespie
"T'ain't Me" by Les Brown & His Orchestra featuring Doris Day
"Tampico" by Stan Kenton
"Temptation" by Perry Como
"There Goes That Song Again" by Russ Morgan
"There! I've Said It Again" by Vaughn Monroe
"Waitin' for the Train to Come In" by Harry James
"You Belong to My Heart" by Bing Crosby
"Your Father's Moustache" by Woody Herman

Published popular music

"All of My Life" w.m. Irving Berlin
"All Through the Day" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Jerome Kern
"Along the Navajo Trail" w.m. Dick Charles, Eddie De Lange & Larry Markes
"Apple Honey" m. Woody Herman
"Aren't You Glad You're You?" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
"Atlanta G.A." w. Sunny Skylar m. Arthur Shaftel
"Autumn Serenade" w. Sammy Gallop m. Peter De Rose
"Be-Baba-Leba" w.m. Helen Humes
"The Blond Sailor" w. (Eng) Mitchell Parish, Bell Leib m. Jacob Pfeil
"Boogie Blues" w.m. Gene Krupa & Ray Biondi
"Caldonia" w.m. Fleecie Moore
"The Carousel Waltz" w. Richard Rodgers
"Cement Mixer" w.m. Slim Gaillard & Lee Ricks
"Chickery Chick" w. Sylvia Dee m. Sidney Lippman
"Close as Pages in a Book" w. Dorothy Fields m. Sigmund Romberg. Introduced by Maureen Cannon and Wilbur Evans in the musical Up in Central Park
"Cruising Down the River" w.m. Eily Beadell & Nell Tollerton
"Day By Day" w. Sammy Cahn m. Paul Weston & Axel Stordahl
"Detour" w.m. Paul Westmoreland
"Dig You Later" w. Harold Adamson m. Jimmy McHugh
"Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Hoagy Carmichael
"Don't Be a Baby, Baby" w. Buddy Kaye m. Howard Steiner
"The End of the News" w.m. Noël Coward
"Everything But You" w.m. Don George, Duke Ellington and Harry James.
"For Sentimental Reasons" w. Deek Watson m. William Best
"The Frim Fram Sauce" w.m. Joe Ricardel & Redd Evans
"Full Moon and Empty Arms" w.m. Buddy Kaye & Ted Mossman
"Give Me the Moon Over Brooklyn" w.m. Jason Matthews & Terry Shand
"Give Me the Simple Life" w. Harry Ruby m. Rube Bloom
"Good Good Good (That's You, That's You)" Roberts, Fisher
"Gotta Be This or That" w.m. Sunny Skylar
"Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
"The Gypsy" w.m. Billy Reid
"Have I Told You Lately that I Love You?" w.m. Scott Wiseman
"Her Bathing Suit Never Got Wet" w. Charles Tobias m. Nat Simon
"Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop" w.m. Lionel Hampton & Curley Hamner
"Homesick - That's All" w.m. Gordon Jenkins
"The Honeydripper" w.m. Joe Liggins
"I Can't Begin to Tell You" w. Mack Gordon m. James V. Monaco. Introduced by John Payne and reprised by Betty Grable in the film The Dolly Sisters
"I Don't Know Enough About You" w.m. Peggy Lee & Dave Barbour
"I Have But One Heart" Marty Symes, J. Farrow
"I Wish I Knew" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Warren. Introduced by Dick Haymes in the film Diamond Horseshoe
"I Wonder" Gant, Leveen
"I Wonder What Happened To Him" w.m. Noël Coward
"If I Loved You" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by John Raitt and Jan Clayton in the musical Carousel.
"I'll Buy That Dream" w. Herb Magison m. Allie Wrubel
"I'm a Big Girl Now" w.m. Al Hoffmann, Milton Drake & Jerry Livingstone
"I'm Gonna Love That Guy" w.m. Frances Ash
"In Acapulco" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Warren. Introduced by Betty Grable in the film Diamond Horseshoe
"In Love In Vain" w. Leo Robin m. Jerome Kern. Introduced by Louanne Hogan dubbing for Jeanne Crain in the film Centennial Summer
"In the Middle of May" w. Al Stillman m. Fred Ahlert
"Isn't It Kinda Fun" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Dick Haymes and Vivian Blaine in the film State Fair. Performed in the 1962 film version by Ann-Margret and David Street
"It Might as Well Be Spring" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Louanne Hogan dubbing for Jeanne Crain in the film State Fair. Performed in the 1962 film version by Anita Gordon dubbing for Pamela Tiffin.
"It's a Grand Night For Singing" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
"It's Been a Long, Long Time" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
"Johnnie Fedora (and Alice Bluebonnet)" w. Allie Wrubel & Ray Gilbert
"June is Bustin' Out All Over" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
"Just a Blue Serge Suit" w.m. Irving Berlin
"Laura" w. Johnny Mercer m. David Raksin
"Lavender Blue" w. Larry Morey m. Eliot Daniel
"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
"Love Letters" w. Edward Heyman m. Victor Young
"Love on a Greyhound Bus" w. Ralph Blane & Kay Thompson m. George Stoll
"Matelot" w.m. Noël Coward. Introduced by Graham Payn in the revue Sigh No More
"Mister Snow" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
"Money is the Root of All Evil" w.m. Joan Whitney & Alex Kramer
"The More I See You" w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Warren
"Nina" w.m. Noël Coward
"Oh! What It Seemed To Be" w.m. Bennie Benjamin, George David Weiss & Frankie Carle
"Personality" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
"Rodger Young" w.m. Frank Loesser
"Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy" w. Sammy Gallop m. Guy Wood
"Sigh No More" w.m. Noël Coward
"Sioux City Sue" w. Ray Freedman m. Dick Thomas
"Soliloquy" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
"Some Sunday Morning" w. Ted Koehler m. M.K. Jerome & Ray Heindorf
"A Stranger in Town" w.m. Mel Tormé
"Symphony" w.(Eng) Jack Lawrence m. Alex Alstone
"Tampico" w.m. Allan Roberts & Doris Fisher
"(Did You Ever Get) That Feeling in the Moonlight?" w.m. James Cavanaugh, Larry Stock & Ira Schuster
"That Little Dream Got Nowhere" w. Johnny Burke m. Jimmy Van Heusen
"That's for Me" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
"This Was a Real Nice Clambake" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
"Till the End of Time" w.m. Buddy Kaye & Ted Mossman
"Two Silhouettes" w. Ray Gilbert m. Charles Wolcott
"Waitin' for the Train to Come In" w.m. Sunny Skylar & Martin Block
"We'll Be Together Again" w. Frankie Laine m. Carl Fischer
"We'll Gather Lilacs" w.m. Ivor Novello
"What's the Use of Wond'rin'?" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
"When the Children Are Asleep" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
"The Wild, Wild West" w. Johnny Mercer m. Harry Warren from the film The Harvey Girls
"You'll Never Walk Alone" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
"You're a Queer One, Julie Jordan" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers

Classical music

Samuel Barber - Cello Concerto
Béla Bartók
- Piano Concerto No. 3
- Viola Concerto
John A. Carpenter - The Seven Ages
George Crumb
- Four Pieces for violin and piano
- Sonata for Piano
- Four Songs for voice, clarinet and piano
Jesús Guridi - Pyrenean Symphony
Dmitri Kabalevsky - Piano Sonata No. 2
Erich W. Korngold - Violin Concerto
G. Francesco Malipiero - Symphony No. 3
Frank Martin - Petite symphonie concertante
Bohuslav Martinů - Rhapsodie Tcheque
Olivier Messiaen - Harawi
Douglas Moore - Symphony No. 2
Walter Piston - Sonatina for Violin and Harpsichord
Sergei Prokofiev - Ivan the Terrible
Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 9
- Children's Notebook
Richard Strauss
- Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings
- Oboe Concerto
Igor Stravinsky
- Ebony Concerto
- Symphony in Three Movements
Michael Tippett - Symphony No. 1
Various composers (Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Milhaud, Schoenberg, Shilkret, Stravinsky, Tansman and Toch) - Genesis Suite

Opera

Benjamin Britten - Peter Grimes
Paul Dessau - Die Reisen des Glücksgotts
Frederick Jacobi - The Prodigal Son

Musical theater

Are You With It? (Music: Harry Revel Lyrics: Arnold B. Horwitt Book: Sam Perrin and George Balzer). Broadway production opened at the Century Theatre on November 10 and ran for 266 performances.
Billion Dollar Baby (Music: Morton Gould Book & Lyrics: Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on December 21 and ran for 220 performances. Starring Mitzi Green, Joan McCracken, William Tabbert, Danny Daniels and Shirley Van.
Carousel (Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics and Book: Oscar Hammerstein II) - Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on April 19 and ran for 890 performances.
The Day Before Spring (Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics and Book: Alan Jay Lerner)Broadway production opened on November 22 at the National Theatre and ran for 165 performances.
The Firebrand of Florence (Book: Ira Gershwin & Edwin Justus Mayer, Music: Kurt Weill, Lyrics: Ira Gershwin) Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on March 22 and ran for 43 performances. Starring Lotte Lenya, Earl Wrightson, Beverly Tyler and Melville Cooper.
Follow The Girls (Music: Phil Charig Lyrics: Dan Shapiro and Milton Pascal Book: Guy Bolton, Eddie Davis and Fred Thompson) - London production opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on October 25 and ran for 572 performances.
Marinka Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on July 18 and moved to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on October 1 for a total run of 165 performances
Perchance To Dream (Music, Lyrics and Book: Ivor Novello) - London production opened at the London Hippodrome on April 21 and ran for 1022 performances.
The Red Mill (Music: Victor Herbert Lyrics and Book: Henry Blossom). Broadway revival opened on October 16 at the Ziegfeld Theatre and ran for 531 performances.
Sigh No More London revue opened at the Piccadilly Theatre on August 28
Under the Counter London production opened at the Phoenix Theatre on November 22 and ran for 665 performances
Up in Central Park (Music: Sigmund Romberg Lyrics: Dorothy Fields Book: Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields). Broadway production opened at the Century Theatre on January 27 and ran for 504 performances.

Musical films

Anchors Aweigh starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson and Gene Kelly. Directed by George Sidney.
The Bells of St. Mary's starring Ingrid Bergman and Bing Crosby. Directed by Leo McCarey.
The Blonde from Brooklyn released June 21, starring Lynn Merrick and Richard Stanton, with Gwen Verdon in a minor role.
Blonde Ransom starring Donald Cook and Virginia Grey. Directed by William Beaudine.
Bring on the Girls starring Veronica Lake, Sonny Tufts, Eddie Bracken and Marjorie Reynolds and featuring Spike Jones and his Orchestra.
Abbott and Costello in Hollywood starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Frances Rafferty, Bob Stanton and Jean Porter. Directed by S. Sylvan Simon.
Delightfully Dangerous satrring Jane Powell, Ralph Bellamy, Constance Moore, Arthur Treacher and Morton Gould & his Orchestra. Directed by Arthur Lubin.
Diamond Horseshoe aka Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe starring Betty Grable, Dick Haymes, Phil Silvers, William Gaxton and Beatrice Kay and featuring vaudevillian Willie Solar in his only filmed performance.
The Dolly Sisters released November 14 starring Betty Grable, June Haver and John Payne.
Duffy's Tavern starring Ed Gardner, Betty Hutton, Bing Crosby, Paulette Goddard, Dorothy Lamour, Eddie Bracken, Sonny Tufts, Barry Fitzgerald and Veronica Lake. Directed by Hal Walker.
Eadie Was a Lady starring Ann Miller
Here Come the Co-eds starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello and Peggy Ryan. Directed by Edgar Fairchild.
Hit the Hay starring Judy Canova
Let's Go Steady released January 4 starring Pat Parrish and Jackie Moran and featuring Mel Tormé and Skinnay Ennis.
Nob Hill starring George Raft, Joan Bennett and Vivian Blaine.
Out of This World starring Eddie Bracken, Veronica Lake and Cass Daley
Rhapsody In Blue starring Robert Alda, Joan Leslie and Alexis Smith and featuring Hazel Scott.
A Song for Miss Julie starring Shirley Ross
State Fair starring Dick Haymes, Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews and Vivian Blaine.
The Stork Club starring Betty Hutton, Barry Fitzgerald, Don DeFore, Andy Russell and Robert Benchley
Thrill of a Romance starring Van Johnson and Esther Williams and featuring Lauritz Melchior
Tonight and Every Night starring Rita Hayworth, Lee Bowman and Janet Blair.
Yolanda and the Thief starring Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer, Frank Morgan, Mildred Natwick and Mary Nash. Directed by Vincente Minnelli.

Births

January 3 - Stephen Stills, singer, songwriter and guitarist
January 9 - Jimmy Page, guitarist (The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin)
January 10 - Rod Stewart, rock singer
January 15 - Joan Johnson (The Dixie Cups)
January 17
- William Hart (The Delfonics)
- Ivan Karabyts, Ukrainian conductor and composer
January 19 - Rod Evans (Deep Purple)
January 20 - Eric Stewart, singer and songwriter (The Mindbenders, 10cc)
January 26
- Jacqueline du Pré, cellist (died 1987)
- Ashley Hutchings, Fairport Convention
January 27 - Nick Mason, Pink Floyd
February 6 - Bob Marley, reggae superstar (died 1981)
February 14 - Vic Briggs, guitarist
February 20 - Alan Hull, singer-songwriter (Lindisfarne) (died 1995)
February 26
- Bob Hite, Canned Heat
- Mitch Ryder
February 27 - Carl Anderson, actor and singer
March 6 - Hugh Grundy (The Zombies)
March 7 - Arthur Lee (Love)
March 8 - Micky Dolenz, singer, songwriter and actor (The Monkees)
March 9 - Robin Trower (Procol Harum)
March 10 - Ramón Ayala, accordion player and norteño
March 14
- Jasper Carrott, English comedian, actor, and musician
- Michael Martin Murphey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- Walter Parazaider, American saxophonist (Chicago)
- Herman van Veen, Dutch singer-songwriter and actor
March 17 - Elis Regina, Brazilian singer (d. 1982)
March 19 - Cem Karaca, Turkish rock musician
March 28 - Charles Portz (The Turtles)
March 30 - Eric Clapton, blues guitarist and singer
April 1 - John Barbata (Jefferson Starship), The Turtles
April 9 - Steve Gadd, American session drummer
April 13 - Lowell George (Little Feat)
April 14 - Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow)
April 20 - Frank DiLeo, American actor and music industry executive
April 24 - Robert Knight, singer
April 25
- Björn Ulvaeus, singer and songwriter (ABBA)
- Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
April 28 - John Wolters, Dr. Hook
April 29 - Tammi Terrell, Soul singer (d. 1970)
May 1 - Rita Coolidge, singer
May 2
- Goldy McJohn, Steppenwolf
- Judge Dread, English reggae singer/rapper (d. 1998)
May 4 - Georg Wadenius (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
May 6
- Bob Seger, singer-songwriter
- Jimmie Dale Gilmore, country musician
May 7 - Christy Moore, folk musician
May 8 - Keith Jarrett, pianist and composer
May 9 - Steve Katz, Blues Project, Blood, Sweat & Tears
May 12 - Ian McLagan, keyboard player, The Faces (d. 2014)
May 13 - Magic Dick, The J. Geils Band
May 19 - Pete Townshend, The Who
May 24 - Priscilla Presley, wife of Elvis
May 27 - Bruce Cockburn, Canadian singer/songwriter
May 28
- John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
- Gary Stewart, American singer (d. 2003)
- Chayito Valdez, folk singer
May 29 - Gary Brooker, singer and keyboardist (Procol Harum)
June 1
- Linda Scott, singer
- Frederica von Stade, operatic mezzo-soprano
June 2 - Lord David Dundas, singer and composer
June 4
- Gordon Waller, singer (Peter and Gordon)
- Anthony Braxton, avant-garde jazz composer
June 14 - Rod Argent, The Zombies, Argent
June 20 - Anne Murray, singer
June 24 - Colin Blunstone, singer
June 25
- Carly Simon, singer-songwriter
- Labi Siffre, singer-songwriter
July 26 - Betty Davis, singer
June 28 - Dave Knights, Procol Harum
July 1
- Mike Burstyn, American actor and singer
- Debbie Harry, singer (Blondie)
July 6 - R. K. Elswit (Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show)
July 15 - Peter Lewis (Moby Grape)
July 18 - Danny McCulloch (The Animals)
July 20
- Kim Carnes, singer
- John Lodge (The Moody Blues)
July 23 - Dino Danelli, The Rascals
July 30 - David Sanborn, saxophonist
August 16 - Gary Liozzo, American Breed
August 18 - Barbara Harris (The Toys)
August 19 - Ian Gillan, rock singer (Deep Purple)
August 24
- Randy Silverman (Vito & The Salutations)
- Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep (band))
- Malcolm Duncan (musician) (Average White Band)
- Ronee Blakley, composer
August 31
- Van Morrison, musician
- Itzhak Perlman, violinist
September 4 - Bill Kenwright, producer of West End musicals
September 5 - Al Stewart, singer-songwriter
September 8
- Jose Feliciano, singer, guitarist and songwriter
- Ron McKernan (Grateful Dead)
- Kelly Groucutt (Electric Light Orchestra)
September 9 - Dee Dee Sharp, R&B singer
September 15 - Jessye Norman, opera singer
September 17 - Danny Rivera, singer
September 19 - David Bromberg, guitarist
September 23 - Paul Petersen, singer and actor
September 24 - John Rutter, composer
September 25 - Onnie McIntire (Average White Band)
September 26
- Bryan Ferry, singer and songwriter
- Gal Costa, Brazilian singer
October 1 - Donny Hathaway, singer (d. 1978)
October 2 - Don McLean, singer-songwriter
October 7 - Kevin Godley, singer and songwriter
October 9 - Chucho Valdés, jazz musician
October 10 - Alan Cartwright (Procol Harum)
October 19 - Jeannie C. Riley, country singer
October 26 - Leslie West (Mountain)
October 28 - Wayne Fontana, singer
October 29 - Melba Moore, singer
October 31 - Russ Ballard, Argent, singer-songwriter
November 8
- Donald Murray (The Turtles)
- Arnold Rosner, composer
November 10 - Donna Fargo, country musician
November 11
- Chris Dreja, British rock musician (The Yardbirds)
- Vincent Martell, Vanilla Fudge
November 12 - Neil Young, singer-songwriter
November 15 - Anni-Frid Lyngstad, singer (ABBA)
November 20 - Dan McBride (Sha Na Na)
November 24 - Lee Michaels, keyboardist and singer
November 26 - John McVie, guitarist (Fleetwood Mac)
December 1 - Bette Midler, singer and actress
December 10 - Toots Hibbert, Toots & the Maytals
December 12
- Alan Ward (The Honeycombs)
- Tony Williams, American drummer, composer, and producer (The Tony Williams Lifetime) (d. 1997)
December 14 - Stanley Crouch, music critic
December 20 - Peter Criss, KISS
December 23 - Ronald Busby, Iron Butterfly
December 24 - Lemmy, Motörhead
December 25 - Noel Redding (Jimi Hendrix Experience) (d. 2003)
December 27 - Clarence Barlow, composer
December 30 - Davy Jones, singer and actor (d. 2012)
date unknown - Abed Azrie, singer

Deaths

January 4 - Michael Coleman, fiddle player (born 1893)
January 17 - Malcolm McEachern, operatic bass (born 1883)
January 30 - Herbert L. Clarke, Cornet Virtuoso and composer (born 1867)
February 5 - Volga Hayworth, showgirl (born c. 1898)
February 7 - Aldo Finzi, composer (born 1897)
February 11 - Al Dubin, songwriter (born 1891)
February 25 - Mário de Andrade, writer and musicologist (born 1893)
March 2 - Jean-Baptiste Lemire, composer (born 1867)
March 3 - Blanche Arral, operatic soprano (born 1864)
April 15 - Raffaello Squarise, violinist, conductor and composer (born 1856)
April 19 - Alois Burgstaller, operatic tenor (born 1872)
April 25
- Elmer Samuel Hosmer, composer (born 1862)
- Teddy Weatherford, jazz pianist (born 1903) (cholera)
April 29 - Dezső Antalffy-Zsiross, Hungarian organist and composer (born 1885)
May 31 - Gustave Huberdeau, operatic bass-baritone (born 1874)
June 26 - Nikolai Tcherepnin, composer (born 1873)
June 28 - Jonny Heykens, Dutch composer and orchestra leader (born 1884)
July 24 - Rosina Storchio, operatic soprano (born 1876)
August 2
- Pietro Mascagni, composer (born 1863)
- Emil von Reznicek, composer (born 1860)
August 19 - Carl Wilhelm Kern, pianist and composer (born 1874)
August 23 - Leo Borchard, conductor (born 1899) (shot)
August 31 - Elsa Stralia, operatic soprano (born 1881)
September 8 - Leo Rich Lewis, composer (born 1865)
September 15 - Anton Webern, composer (born 1883) (shot)
September 16 - John McCormack, tenor (born 1884)
September 18 - Blind Willie Johnson, gospel singer and guitarist (born 1897) (pneumonia)
September 25 - Julius Korngold, music critic (born 1860)
September 26 - Béla Bartók, composer (born 1881)
October 16 - James V. Monaco, Italian-born US composer (born 1885)
November 3 - Alessandro Longo, composer and musicologist (born 1864)
November 7 - Gus Edwards, Prussian-born US songwriter, entertainer and producer (born 1879)
November 11 - Jerome Kern, composer (born 1885) (cerebral haemorrhage)
December 24 - Adelina Stehle, operatic soprano (born 1860)
December 30 - France Ačko, Slovenian organist and composer (born 1904)
date unknown
- Viktor Selyavin, operatic tenor (born 1875)
- David Beigelman, violinist, orchestra leader, and composer (born 1887)
- Joseph Fournier de Belleval, operatic baritone and music teacher (born 1892)